We are very grateful to Dr Carol Chapman who sadly passed away in 2023 and has kindly given to BAPAM through her will. Carol worked with BAPAM for many years as a Counselling Psychologist and as a member of our Medical Committee.
Carol helped hundreds of performers and artists overcome mental health challenges and lead fulfilling creative lives. The invaluable expertise she gave to our organisation was gained through a career dedicated to the arts and improving the wellbeing of musicians and creators.
Carol was born in London in 1944. She played clarinet and piano and went to Manchester University to study psychology. After a year of research, she undertook a doctorate at Sheffield University and then became a psychology lecturer in the 1970s. She went on to work in publishing, then at Worcester college Oxford, and was closely involved with the setting up of National Life Stories at the National Sound Archive. She was deeply interested in musicians and open to all areas with a particular interest in jazz.
After furthering her training as a Counselling Psychologist in the 1990s, Carol specialised in working with artists, focusing on facilitating and enhancing performance as much as remedying problems. In an interview with BAPAM in 2018, she recalled,
“I’ve spent a lifetime amongst performers and have witnessed and experienced many of their difficulties and issues. When I decided to move from academic psychology to become a Counselling Psychologist and to work in performing arts I felt I had come home. I could bring together my own experiences learning music, many years of close contact with performer relatives, friends and colleagues, and add this to my therapeutic knowledge and skills to helping performers cope with their problems and fulfil themselves.
Performers are a joy to work with because they’re used to looking in to themselves and know themselves and their body quite well. They’re often highly disciplined and are used to working hard.
Anything I can do to further the lives of artists ultimately benefits their art, and this also benefits all of us who are enriched by it as well.”
Carol’s gift to BAPAM provides much valued ongoing support for our charity and the performing arts community she cared deeply about. A heartfelt thank you to Carol and her family for their support from the BAPAM team and those we support.